A ‘beacon of Christ’s mercy,’ St. Faustina Church breaks ground in Fulshear

A ‘beacon of Christ’s mercy,’ St. Faustina Church breaks ground in Fulshear
11/24/2015

FULSHEAR — The newest parish in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston recently took another major step in its journey.

On Nov. 8, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo joined members of the faith community of St. Faustina Catholic Church for a groundbreaking ceremony of their new church building. The permanent site of St. Faustina is located on FM 1093 just east of the main entrance of Cross Creek Ranch subdivision. The new church building is estimated to open in late 2016.

“As we at St. Faustina parish today are beginning to build our house, we build it on the rock of our confession of Jesus Christ, and in light of St. Faustina and in light of His mercy,” Cardinal DiNardo said at the ceremony, which was attended by a small group of parishioners.

St. Faustina Catholic Church’s first Mass was held on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2014 at Joe Hubenak Elementary School in Richmond. Since the parish opened last year, Masses have been held at Hubenak Elementary School.

In just over a year of existence, there are 1,565 families registered at the parish and more than 1,100 young people enrolled in faith formation. Father Dat Hoang is the founding administrator of the St. Faustina Catholic Church.

“We are very excited about the journey,” Father Hoang said during the ceremony. “We look forward to being in awe of what God has done and will do for us.”

Outside of the exceptional growth in its inaugural year, the Cardinal acknowledged the multicultural makeup of the upstart parish community. “We have to respect the multiplicity of cultures, the many languages, the many musics, the one faith,” Cardinal DiNardo said. “If you have one Catholic faith, all of the other things fall into place.”

Referencing the symbolism behind the groundbreaking, Father Hoang asked attendees to look around the site and embrace the blessing of the experience.

“I know that one day, this very place will be a place where many souls will find refuge in the ocean of Christ’s mercy,” Father Hoang said. “In this place, many broken hearts will be healed. Many will be brought to God. In this place, a lot of prayers will be lifted up for this city, so this area of the world will be transformed. For we have been named St. Faustina, the Apostle of Mercy, and our mission is to be the beacon of Christ’s mercy for all of those around us.”